Talent
by Alyzuh
Summary: "Suddenly, something struck her, hard, on the back of her head. Olivia choked out a grunt as a response to the ambush, before falling to her knees and to the ground." One man is in desperate need of Olivia's talent.
1. Chapter 1

The door flew open with a single violet kick. The barrel of the glock stared up at the fleeing perpetrator, then back down to the ground as the detective holding it made her way up the stairs. Her partner had already gone around the back, of the house.

The suspect stifled a cry of terror as he found the door he had planned on escaping through was locked. Eyes wild with desperation, he came face to face with the gun. He whimpered pathetically, staring from Olivia back down to the lethal weapon.

"Turn around," She hissed, peering over the top of her eight millimeter. The man trembled, terrified.

"I said, turn around, hands on the wall!" She flipped the gun into one hand, and reached to grab his shoulder with the other.

Ramon Bailey, the prime suspect in a rape, let out a strangled cry. Frantically, he threw his arms at Olivia, knocking the gun away from her. He grabbled with her limbs, and Olivia, taken by surprise, stumbled backwards. Ramon violently shoved her backwards.

Olivia screamed out, before her back slammed into a step. Her breath was stolen away from her. She quickly reached her arms in front of her face, in an attempt to spare her head from slamming into anything. Her breathing was ragged, as she was hardly able to suck in air before another collision with the stairs beat it out of her. Once, she reached out her hand to try and break her fall. However, she only succeeded in twisting her wrist painfully.

Finally, she tumbled down to the bottom. Her eyes scarcely fluttered open, and she stared, dizzy, up at the sallow ceiling. She tried to gulp in air, but the wind was completely knocked out of her. When she finally regained her movement, she tried to reach around for her radio. A sharp pang of pain assaulted her sides, and she let out a gasp in surprise.

Feebly, she tried to reach for Ramon as he fled down the stairs and simply stepped over her on his way out the door.

"Freeze, hands on your head." Elliot barked. Ramon threw his hands in the air, lip quivering.

"It was an accident!" He wailed, falling to his knees and clenching his scalp with dirtied hands. Quickly, Elliot tucked the gun away into his holster, and replaced it with a pair of hand cuffs. He slapped the bracelets onto Ramon's wrists.

"Ramon Bailey, you're under arrest for the rape of Samantha Graham and assaulting a police officer. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"Y-yes!" Ramon stammered.

"Get up, you scumbag." Elliot kneed him in the back, and twisted his head around to his partner. Immediately, concern wracked his body as she staggered onto her feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," She panted, on her knees, then onto her feet. Limping heavily, she hobbled towards the pair of men. "Just glad you - caught the son of a bitch."

"You need to go to the hospital." Elliot remarked as he roughly pushed Ramon in front of him.

"I'm fine." Gingerly, she pressed her fingers to her side. Elliot noticed her wince.

"Fine my ass. We'll take Bailey in, then I'm running you to the hospital."

"Relax - it's not like - I got shot - or anything." Olivia struggled for each breath she took, and held her side. "I just got the wind knocked out of me—that's all."

"You got pushed down the stairs." Elliot lifted an eyebrow at her. He shoved a now sobbing Bailey into the car as he did so. "You can hardly breathe."

"Well, yeah—" Olivia sighed. She knew full well it was pointless to try and argue. Elliot, now on the other side of the car, smiled weakly at her. She reflected his expression, and fell into her seat.

* * *

"You've got, a fractured rib right here. I could hardly see it, because it's such a new break. Not only that, it's not a bad one." The doctor slid the x-ray images against the bright screen, and pointed out a small break in the middle ribs of her cage. "And then bruises all along your side, obviously. You also mildly sprained you right wrist."

"How long do you think I'll be off the job?"

"Oh Olivia, always so eager to get back on the job that causes you to come in here. What is this, your second job related injury this month? Your partner was just in here a few weeks ago, too. How's his recovery coming along?"

Olivia smiled politely.

"Elliot's fine. How much longer, Dr. DeWitt?"

He grinned at her. "Take a couple of weeks off work entirely. Tell your captain to put you on a desk for the next three weeks after that, minimum. Your average Tylenol should work for now, as well as a good icing and rest, but if the pain gets worse, please contact me."

Olivia waved a hand indifferently at the older man. "Trust me; I don't think I'll be trying anything stronger than mild ibuprofen. I've had enough issues with powerful drugs for now."

DeWitt laughed, knowing she was referring to her encounter with African mushrooms.

"Well Ms. Benson, I think you're ready to go."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Don't push yourself, Olivia."

Olivia didn't bother to turn around once she had started out the door. 

"You going to be okay by yourself?" Elliot said softly to her, blue eyes filled with concern. Olivia reached into his car and pulled her coat out.

"I'm fine. I should be asking you the same question."

Elliot glanced quickly at his shoulder, then back at her. "I'm fine. Liv, just call me if you need anything."

"El, I'm not crippled."

"Eh, I don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

She rolled her eyes good-heartedly at him. "If you want to do me a favor, could you pick Calvin up from school for me? He's staying after for some extra help."

"When?"

"4:30."

"Gotcha. See you later."

Olivia closed the door, and made her way up the apartment stairs. When she met the door, she thrust the key into the lock and twisted it. The door gave way, and Oliva let out a long sigh, Olivia dragged herself inside. She almost forgot to close the door. Idly, she shed her coat and tossed it onto the arm of her couch. She quietly made her way to her room, where she plucked a hair tie off the top of her dresser. Sloppily, she pushed her hair into a crude ponytail. Another sigh escaped her. Planting each hand on a hip, she strode out of the living room, and screwed up her face at the pile of spilled cereal on her floor.

She laughed softly to herself, thinking of how Calvin had scrambled out the door to catch the bus, dropping the cereal. Knowing he couldn't be late and already running late herself, she left without even cleaning it up.

The detective ambled over to her closet, and yanked the door open. There, a rather old vacuum greeted her.

"God, when was the last time I used this?" Olivia realized she hardly had to vacuum, seeing as she barely spent time at home. She knew that now that she had a child living with her, she'd have to use it a lot more often.

She plugged it into the wall, and kicked it on with her foot. At first, she only dragged it front and back where she stood in a restricted area where the cereal had spilled, but soon she reached too far.

Pain pinched her side. Olivia kicked the vacuum off and clutched her side. "Damn it." In search of relief, she rushed over to the cabinet in her kitchen. When she pulled it open, she discovered a bottle of ibuprofen. At first, she thought her pain would be alleviated. However, when she twisted it open, she found it was empty.

Olivia groaned in annoyance.

"You've got to be kidding me." Briefly, she considered calling Elliot, but decided against it. Olivia looked over at the wall. It was 2:30.

Picking up the coat on her coach, she went out the door, closing it behind her. She descended the flight of stairs, and came to the door. Figuring that the store was only down the street, she didn't bother to go to the garage and drive.

Olivia scrunched her face up each time she pressed her hand lightly against her bruises.

The store in sight, Olivia picked up her pace. Suddenly, something struck her, hard, on the back of her head. Olivia choked out a grunt as a response to the ambush, before falling to her knees and to the ground.

Her attacker tucked his hands into her armpits, and lugged her into his car.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Calvin!" Elliot called to the boy, trudging down the stairs of the school building.

"Hey. Are you picking me up today?" Calvin squeezed his backpack straps, and looked curiously up at Elliot.

"Yeah. Olivia's gotta take it easy for a little while."

"Why? Is she hurt?" Calvin's eyes went bug-eyed as fastened his eyes on Elliot. He slipped into the car, and Elliot pushed it shut behind him. He rounded the car and fell into himself. After buckling himself in and assuring that Calvin had too, he pulled the car away from the curb and wheeled down the road.

"Nothing you need to worry about. She's going to be home for a week or two, and she does gonna be a bit sore. Think you can help her out?"

Calvin nodded enthusiastically.

"Good. You tell me if she needs anything okay? She can be stubborn about people taking care of her."

The young boy grinned at him. "I kinda saw that."

They rode on, as Calvin coolly discussed his day at school, and how one teacher was particularly odd.

"He kept on staring at me, then came up and asked about my mom."

"Oh yeah, what did he ask?"

"He asked if she was single."

Elliot paused, disturbed by this man's inquiries.

"What'd you tell him?"

"Nothing. I told him I had to get to Mrs. Banks for after school help real quick, or else I'd be in trouble."

Elliot pulled up in front of Olivia's building, and looked warily after Calvin as he clambered out of his sedan.

"Well, you just tell me or Olivia if he bothers you any more, okay?"

"Okay. See ya, Elliot."

"Bye Calvin."

The door swung around and closed tightly into the car. Calvin waved again at Elliot, then walked to the door, unlocking it with the spare key Olivia had given him. He heard Elliot's car move away from the building. The hallway yawned before him, and Calvin glanced around, sighing slightly. He missed living in a house instead of an apartment.

Calvin strolled casually to the elevators, pushing the button for the second floor. Rocking back and forth on his feet, he hummed to himself, patiently waiting for the doors to crack open. As they did, he looked up at an elderly man inside, hunched over in his walker and eying Calvin suspiciously.

"What's a kid like you taking the elevator for? You gotta good pair of legs, use them you brat!"

"I—Uh—"

The man slammed the buttons on the inside, and the doors began to slide back towards each other.

"No, wait!" Calvin outstretched his hand, but the stainless steel doors clicked together, leaving him behind.

"Dang!" He threw a kick at the door, and then stormed away. His feet pounded angrily against the steps. Calvin muttered curses under his breath, right up until he met the door. He was surprised to find it unlocked, and stepped inside. The lights had been left on.

"Hello…?" He called out, slinging his backpack onto the couch. He kicked off his shoes and tossed them off to the side. Light flooded the room when he flipped the switch, and he closed and locked the door behind him. Nothing but silence answered his call.

"Olivia? Are you home?" Calvin dived behind the couch, expecting an ambush from his guardian. He giggled madly, but when Olivia didn't come rushing in, he peered, concern plaguing his mind, over the couch.

His heart rate picked up, and he toured the apartment. Elliot had said she was home, off work today, so he was quite obviously confused. Continuing to call her name, and getting no response, he quietly finished checking everywhere, including the closet.

"Hmm." Calvin shrugged, figuring she had run to the store. He flopped onto the couch, and picked up the remote to watch TV. He found a show he knew neither Olivia nor his mother would allow him to watch, one with far too much gore or language for a boy his age. Calvin felt her absence nagging at him, and thought about calling Elliot. Though, he didn't want to cause needless upset. Deciding against it, he became engrossed with the show.

* * *

Calvin jerked awake, finding that he was now watching a slow paced documentary on tigers. He blinked, and a yawn wrenched his jaws apart. He stretched his arms out above him, and pointed his toes away as well. Calvin hopped off the couch, and stifling another yawn, ambled into the kitchen.

Panic swept through him. It was four in the morning, way past the time he should be in bed. Olivia hadn't woken him up.

"Olivia?" He called out shakily, dashing madly through the rooms to find her, only to discover every one of them was still vacant. Calvin ran back into the living room, and picked up the home phone. He tried to remember Elliot's number, and dialed it into the phone. He pressed it to his ear, listening intently to it ring.

"Hello?" It was a young woman's voice.

"I-I-I—"

"Who is this?"

"I-I got the wrong number. Sorry."

He quickly hit the end button, and then dialed a slightly different number. Once more, he pushed it to the side of his face. He closed his eyes and prayed for an answer.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up…"

"… Liv? Why are you calling so late? Is everything all—"

"Elliot!"

Elliot jerked his head back in surprise. It most certainly wasn't Olivia, but instead Calvin. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. Elliot himself had fallen asleep in front of the TV.

"Hey bud, everything okay?"

"I, um,"

"Calvin, if there's something wrong you need to say so."

"Olivia isn't here!" Elliot could detect the panic in his voice.

"What do you mean she's not there? Did she go to the store? Is something wrong?"

"I mean she was never here. When you dropped me off, she wasn't here, and I dozed off on the couch. When I woke up, she still wasn't here!" He voice was high pitched and cracked.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I don't know, I didn't think it was that serious! I thought she would be home soon."

Elliot let the line go silent as he tried to sum up the words to say. Originally, he was going to probe him for more questions, but he knew antagonizing the boy would only make him more terrified.

"Hello?" He yelled into the phone, fearing that Elliot had hung up.

"It's okay, I'm still here. Stay put, keep the door locked. I'm coming over.'

"Okay, but hurry. I have no idea where she is."

"I know bud. I'll be there in a little while, okay? Try to stay calm."

"Can you stay on the line with me until you get here?"

Elliot pulled the phone away from his ear, and swore quietly. "Sorry Calvin, my phone is almost dead. I gotta save the battery in case Olivia or someone else calls. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Be brave. I'll be there in a little while. Alright Calvin?"

"Alright. Please, try and get here soon."

"I'll will. Bye."

"Bye."

Calvin set the phone down, and shakily, he sucked in a breath. Warmth wrapped around him when he climbed back onto the couch and snuggled into a blanket. He attempted to fall back asleep, but the worry that flooded his mind prevented him from doing so. He blankly stared at the wall, occasionally allowing his eyes to wander up to the barren ceiling, back down and over the walls, until his eyes fell upon an array of photos on top of a table he hadn't noticed before.

Kicking off his blanket, he stood up and moseyed over. He scanned over the faces, recognizing only some. There were several pictures, from images of an old woman and Olivia, to a couple of Elliot and Olivia. He saw a picture of a man who resembled Olivia despite his blue eyes, sitting with a women and a child propped up in his lap. Other than that, the shelf lacked any other pictures. Calvin sighed, wondering if she would put up a picture of him there soon.

Suddenly, he felt a strong pang of grief for his mother, and that Olivia seemed to be leaving him too. He choked out a small sob.

* * *

Elliot hung up, and shook his head. It was unlike Olivia to be gone without a word, and even odder that she had left Calvin home along all day. He picked his phone back up and dialed Olivia's number in. No answer. He exhaled slowly through his nose, and then redialed. This time, he left a message.

"Liv, it's El. Calvin called me a few minutes ago, about ready to burst into tears because he doesn't know where the hell you are. Give me a call."

Elliot stood up, redialing once more. Still, she didn't pick up.

"Shit, Liv, where are you?" Elliot draped his coat over himself, and then pulled open the door. The sedan was waiting, perched in his driveway. Looking at it, the sleek dark car seemed as exhausted as he was. He fumbled with his keys and unlocked it on his way to it.

Sliding inside, he quickly shut the door to avoid hearing the redundant chime of an ajar door. The key was jammed into the ignition, and he gave it a firm twist. The car roared to life, with the dashboard glowing awake with it. The radio came on as static, and Elliot switched it off. Checking the traffic behind him, he pulled out and headed towards Olivia's apartment. He knew that Kathy must have heard him leave, but pushed this to the back of his mind, until she indeed called his cell phone.

"Hello—"

"Elliot, where the hell are you going?"

"Sorry Kathy, they need me at the precinct. I tried to leave without waking you up." Elliot lied easily, not wanting Kathy to prod him about Olivia.

"You didn't wake me up, you woke Eli up. I can't get him to stop crying. What's so important about this case that it can't wait until morning?" Suspicion edged her weary tone of voice.

"I gotta go. My phone's dying."

"Ugh, Elliot, this needs to stop—"

"I'm sorry. Bye."

The phone died, and Elliot felt minor relief. The last thing he needed right now was Kathy to get on his case for leaving. Other things were on his mind, such as where Olivia was. Disquiet properly described his current state of mind.

* * *

Time had escaped him, and soon a rapping came at the door. Calvin scrambled to meet the knocking, peering through the peephole in hopes of finding Olivia. He wasn't completely disappointed, and opened the door to allow Elliot in. He tried to wipe away his tears, but his lip quivered up at Olivia's partner.

"Hey Calvin. You holding up okay?"

"Am I really that bad?"

"What do you mean?" Elliot stepped over the threshold, surveying the apartment for any sign of a crime. Nothing seemed out of place.

"I mean that my mom left me, and now Olivia has too! And I never even met my dad! No one wants me!"

"Hey, shshshsh." Elliot crouched down to Calvin's level, and held his shoulders. "Olivia would never abandon you."

"Then where is she?" He cried.

"I don't know. We're gonna find that out. Come on."

Calvin nodded slowly, sniffling. "Okay."

Elliot smiled at him. "Put on your coat, let's go."

"Where are we going?" Calvin asked, pulling the sleeves of his sweater over his arms, tucking his feet into his untied shoes, and then following Elliot out the door.

"Back to the precinct. I can't just leave you here."

Elliot led him down the stairs, and he walked up to the landlord's door. He knocked heavily on it. No answer.

"Mr. Bennett, open up!" Elliot beat the palm of his hand against the heavy door. "NYPD!"

The door clicked, signaling the elderly man was opening the door. Calvin swallowed – it was the man who had scolded him on the elevator earlier. He cowered behind Elliot.

"What's with you rotten youngsters waking me up at ungodly hours?" Mr. Bennett waved a cane in Elliot's face.

"Sorry sir. I just need the surveillance for the building."

"The wha?"

"The surveillance. Video tapes. For the security camera."

"Oh, those things?" The senior aged gentlemen squinted up at the cameras that hung off the ceiling. "Them things don't work."

Elliot sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Did you happen to see Ms. Benson, from apartment 2B, around today?"

"I saw her come in for a little bit earlier, 'round 2 o' clock. She left and never came back. Besides her, I haven't seen any of ya beside that little guy right there tryin' to take the elevator, when seniors like ma' self need to take them instead."

Calvin flinched, but Elliot placed a reassuring hand on the young boy's shoulder.

"I apologize for waking you up. Good night." Elliot replied, and then turned away. Calvin peeked over his shoulder at the man.

"Man, he's really an old coot, isn't he?" Calvin whispered to Elliot once they were out of the door.

Elliot smiled weakly, glad that Olivia's disappearance wasn't bothering the young boy as much as it did before.

"Alright bud, let's go." Elliot hustled the kid into the car, before entering it himself. It had been left on, and all he did was shift it out of park. They rode in almost complete silence, besides a couple of questions from Elliot.

"You're sure she didn't come home, or tell you where she was going?"

"I already told you. She was never home. The door was unlocked and the lights were on when I get there."

When they pulled in front of the precinct, Elliot took the boy's hand and escorted him inside and into the unit. The lights were, for the most part, off. There were no people around, except for the janitor who swept the mop over the flood. He guided Calvin to the cribs, where he showed him the beds.

"There's some blankets in the lockers over there, and a few pillows. Think you can go back to sleep."

Calvin shuffled his feet. "I'll try."

"Okay. Calvin," Once more, Elliot squatted down to his height. "We're gonna find her. She didn't leave you and you don't have to think that, okay."

Calvin sucked in a breath, and then drew it back out slowly. "Okay."

"I'm going to be right next door if you need me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you want me to turn off the lights?" Elliot offered as he started out the door. Calvin shook his head.

"Okay. Night buddy."

"G'Night Elliot."

Elliot pulled the door close behind him, and then scrubbed his hand up against his face. He walked over to his desk, and set his dead phone onto it. He reached for the wired phone, dialing in his captain's number. He answered almost immediately.

"Elliot, what the hell are you doing up at the precinct?"

"Captain, we've got a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

Elliot closed his eyes, and hauled in a long breath.

"Olivia's missing."

* * *

Please keep reading. It's not a generic Olivia-gets-kidnapped-story, trust me. R&R is loved. :D


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